Toulon have confirmed the signing of Antoine Frisch on a three-year deal from Munster. The 28-year-old is contracted with the Irish province until the summer of 2025 but an agreement has been reached to end his stay in Limerick 12 months earlier than scheduled.
He will now link up with Toulon ahead of the 2024/25 season and will be hoping to earn another call-up to the French national team after spending a few days earlier this year training with Fabien Galthie's side during the Guinness Six Nations.
A statement said: “The city of Toulon is pleased to announce the arrival of the French Center Antoine Freche to the shores of the port.
Antoine trained at Fontainebleau and then passed through several amateur clubs, starting his professional career at Rouen before joining England (Bristol Bears) and Ireland (Munster).
“Antoine Frisch has already started at the English club, and it is in Munster that Antoine Frisch has revealed himself to the general public. He won the URC title last year with the Irish province.
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Le Center du @munsterrugbyAntoine Frisch takes off in the race and participates with RCT until 2027 ?
— RCT – RC Toulon (@RCTofficiel) May 24, 2024
“Summoned by Fabien Galthie to prepare for the recent Six Nations Championship, Antoine Frisch wanted to return to France and chose the Toulon project to continue and enrich his career.”
“Antoine is a player who has had an atypical career,” said RCT sporting director Laurent Emmanuelli. Trained in the Paris region, he patiently built his career by competing in the Federale, Pro D2, and then the English and Celtic tournaments.
His progress has been steady and we are convinced that he is now an international player. A fly-tying position in training and now positioned in midfield, Antoine is a balanced player who is as comfortable in attack as he is in defence.
“With the state of mind and human values that adhere to RCT, Antoine has great technical qualities, gets people playing around him, and strengthens the collective team. He is also a very good defender. For all these reasons, we are delighted to have Antoine join our project for the next three seasons.
Frisch added: “First of all, I would like to thank Bernard Lemaitre, Laurent Emmanuel, Pierre Mignone and Munster for this opportunity. It is a great pride and honor for me to come and play in the RCT.
“I can't wait to wear this iconic jersey and experience the excitement of the fans. I wish the team the best in their final race in the top 14. See you soon!”
Munster, who confirmed the signing of midfielder Tom Farrell from Connacht in midweek to replace Fresh, said in their statement: “Antoine has been a fantastic addition since joining from Bristol in 2022, and there are a few weeks to come before he departs with our squad.” best wishes.
“The 28-year-old has scored nine tries in 39 appearances for Munster so far, including two against Edinburgh last weekend.
“Antoine announced himself to Munster fans on his debut with an excellent performance against South Africa A in Pirk Ui Chaoimh in November 2022.
“He played a key role in Munster's URC title win last season scoring three tries in 19 appearances which included starts in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
“He has already scored six tries in 21 appearances so far this season, with his good form earning him a call-up to the Six Nations squad in France in March.”
